A sports festival

Over 80 thousand athletes celebrated the anniversary of the CIS in St. Peter's Square in the presence of the Pope

Saturday, June 7th in St. Peter's Square in Rome, there was a meeting between Pope Francis and young people and representatives of sports clubs throughout Italy, who gathered to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Italian Sports Center (CIS). Bergoglio took the opportunity to emphasize the importance of sport as a game: "Only if the game is good for the body and the spirit," he said. The pope called on sports in the streets to get involved in life as in sport: "Put you in the game in pursuit of the good in the Church and in society, without fear, with courage and enthusiasm." The pontiff also stressed the importance of sports clubs: "In the clubs you learn to accept. It welcomes any athlete who would like to join us and we welcome each other, with simplicity and sympathy. " Duro was the intervention against individualism: "Belonging to a sports club - said Bergoglio - means reject all forms of selfishness and isolation, is an opportunity to meet and be with others, to help each other, to compete in mutual esteem and grow in brotherhood. " Papa Francesco then wanted to remember the life and work of pioneering father Lorenzo Massa, founder in 1908 of a club that would become the St. Lawrence, the soccer team in Buenos Aires in which the pope is a fan. The pontiff said the bond that exists between many parishes and many sports clubs: "Many of your clubs are born and live in the shadow of a steeple; it's nice when there is a sporting group in the parish, but must be set right in a manner consistent with the Christian community, if not, it is best that there is. "

The event was also attended by the Mondo, providing and posing in collaboration with its partners Bi Sport, the "runner" that was placed directly in the churchyard of St. Peter's Basilica and was covered by the Pope accompanied by a delegation of children. The course was in Mondotrack, the same surface used for the athletics track of the Olympic Stadium in London 2012.

In addition, at the Village of Sports in way of conciliation, as was done October 20, 2013, during the "Running of 100 meters and Faith," Mondo and Bi Sport organized space Kids World, dedicated to preteens. Mondo has also provided professional event balloons, designed by the Mondo Toys division; one of them has been used by athletes present during the events of the day; while the others were delivered in a symbolic way to the Pope for an initiative to support the needy dioceses around the world.